Anyone who lives in Vancouver knows there is plenty of wildlife running (and flying . . . and swimming) around: eagles, bears, whales, racoons, owls, even the occasional coyote. But did you know it’s possible to spy on a lot of local critters without ever leaving home?

Several different webcams in and around Vancouver stream live, 24/7 footage of BC’s incredible wildlife (kind of like Big Brother for the animal kingdom). I’ve done a search and compiled a few of these webcams. If you know any others, please share the websites by leaving a comment below.

Before we start, just a word of warning: Don’t expect Animal Planet highlights here. I’ve been watching these cams for a few hours, and it seems like most of the time the star critters are either sleeping or staring off into space. Still, it’s interesting to get a glimpse of these wild animals, and some of the webcams also have sound – so you can pipe forest noises right into your computer.

1) Barn Owl Nesting at Campbell Valley Regional Park (Click here): This little guy (or gal) from Campbell Park out in Langley doesn’t seem to do a whole lot, but maybe that’s because owls are nocturnal. There is a good soundtrack though – birds singing and crickets chirping. Last time I checked, 14 other viewers were watching.

2) Bald Eagles in White Rock overlooking Boundary Bay (Click here): This one’s a little complicated. To watch you have to click play, then sit through a silly 30-second Dell ad, then wait a few seconds for the video to buffer. The footage is a bit choppy, but you do see eagles in a giant nest made of twigs, with a nice view in the background. Here’s some YouTube footage of a similar nest:

3) Beluga Whales in the Vancouver Aquarium (Click here): No audio on this cam, but you do occasionally see one or more ghostly white beluga whales zipping and turning through the big outdoor tank at the Vancouver aquarium (Hint to VanAq: How about including a full-screen option?).

4) Hummingbird Nest in Victoria (Click here): The webcam footage here is prerecorded, but it still offers an up-close look at life in a hummingbird nest, with a mama bird and several little chicks.

5) Grizzly Bear Cam at Grouse Mountain (Click here): I can’t get this cam to work on my computer. Anyone else having any luck? It would be great to be able to snoop on Grouse Mountain’s two resident grizzlies, Grinder and Coola.

Know of any other wildlife webcams? Please share links by leaving a comment below.

Inside Vancouver is a multi-author blog, written by Vancouverites about Vancouver. Our goal is to give an insider’s view of Vancouver, to provide information, stories and opinions from the locals’ perspective about this great city.